Four states have banned cellphone use in schools so far this month
On May 14, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed House Bill 166, banning cellphone use in K-12 schools starting in the 2025-2026 school year. This move makes the Yellowhammer State the fourth state to ban cellphone use in schools in May alone:
- On May 5, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed Senate Bill 139, which institutes a year-long ban on cellphone use in schools and requires school districts to implement policies to enforce it.
- On May 6, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced a school cellphone ban policy as part of the state budget for fiscal year 2026.
- On May 9, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed House Bill 340, banning cellphone use in elementary and middle schools starting in January 2026.
West Virginia enacts bill aligning municipal election dates
On April 24, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) signed SB 50, requiring all municipal elections to be held concurrently with a statewide primary or general election by 2032.
The Republican-sponsored bill passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, including a unanimous vote in the state Senate.
Supporters said the bill would reduce election costs and lead to higher turnout. Opponents said that it could reduce attention on local candidates.
John Ewing Jr. defeats incumbent Jean Stothert in the nonpartisan general election for Mayor of Omaha
John Ewing Jr. defeated incumbent Jean Stothert in the general election for mayor of Omaha, Nebraska. The vote was 55.5%-44.5%. While mayoral elections are nonpartisan in Omaha, Stothert is affiliated with the Republican Party, and Ewing Jr. is affiliated with the Democratic Party. Omaha is the first of the 100 largest U.S. cities by population to have a change in mayoral partisanship in 2025.
This is the first time Omaha has elected a Democratic mayor since former mayor Jim Suttle was elected in 2009.
Currently, Stothert is one of 25 Republican top 100 mayors. If there are no other changes, the breakdown of the mayoral partisan affiliations in all top 100 cities will be as follows when Ewing Jr. is sworn in on June 9.
